Job 22

Job 22Amplified Bible (AMP)

Eliphaz Accuses and Exhorts Job

22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2 “Can a vigorous man be of use to God,Or a wise man be useful to himself?3 “Is it any pleasure or joy to [a]the Almighty that you are righteous?Or is it of benefit to Him that you make your ways perfect?4 “Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you,That He enters into judgment against you?5 “Is not your wickedness great,And your sins without end?6 “For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause,And stripped men naked.7 “You have not given water to the weary to drink,And you have withheld bread from the hungry.8 “But the land is possessed by the man with power,And the favored and honorable man dwells in it.9 “You have sent widows away empty-handed,And the arms (strength) of the fatherless have been broken.10 “Therefore snares surround you,And sudden dread terrifies and overwhelms you;11 Or darkness, so that you cannot see,And a flood of water covers you.

12 “Is not God in the height of heaven?And behold the distant stars, how high they are!13 “You say, ‘What does God know [about me]?Can He judge through the thick darkness?14 ‘Thick clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see,And He walks on the vault (circle) of the heavens.’15 “Will you keep to the ancient pathThat wicked men walked [in the time of Noah],16 Men who were snatched away before their time,Whose foundations were poured out like a river?17 “They said to God, ‘Depart from us!What can the Almighty do for us or to us?’18 “Yet He filled their houses with good things;But the counsel of the wicked and ungodly is far from me.19 “The righteous see it and are glad;And the innocent mock and laugh at them, saying,20 ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off and destroyed,And fire has consumed their abundance.’

21 “Now yield and submit yourself to Him [agree with God and be conformed to His will] and be at peace;In this way [you will prosper and great] good will come to you.22 “Please receive the law and instruction from His mouthAnd establish His words in your heart and keep them.23 “If you return to the Almighty [and submit and humble yourself before Him], you will be built up [and restored];If you remove unrighteousness far from your tents,24 And place your gold in the dust,And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks [considering it of little value],25 And make the Almighty your goldAnd your precious silver,26 Then you will have delight in the Almighty,And you will lift up your face to God.27 “You will pray to Him, and He will hear you,And you will pay your vows.28 “You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you;And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways.29 “When you are cast down and humbled, you will speak with confidence,And the humble person He will lift up and save.30 “He will even rescue the one [for whom you intercede] who is not innocent;And he will be rescued through the cleanness of your hands.”

Job 22New International Version (NIV)

Eliphaz

2 “Can a man be of benefit to God?Can even a wise person benefit him?3 What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?What would he gain if your ways were blameless?

4 “Is it for your piety that he rebukes youand brings charges against you?5 Is not your wickedness great?Are not your sins endless?6 You demanded security from your relatives for no reason;you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.7 You gave no water to the wearyand you withheld food from the hungry,8 though you were a powerful man, owning land—an honored man, living on it.9 And you sent widows away empty-handedand broke the strength of the fatherless.10 That is why snares are all around you,why sudden peril terrifies you,11 why it is so dark you cannot see,and why a flood of water covers you.

12 “Is not God in the heights of heaven?And see how lofty are the highest stars!13 Yet you say, ‘What does God know?Does he judge through such darkness?14 Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see usas he goes about in the vaulted heavens.’15 Will you keep to the old paththat the wicked have trod?16 They were carried off before their time,their foundations washed away by a flood.17 They said to God, ‘Leave us alone!What can the Almighty do to us?’18 Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.19 The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;the innocent mock them, saying,20 ‘Surely our foes are destroyed,and fire devours their wealth.’

21 “Submit to God and be at peace with him;in this way prosperity will come to you.22 Accept instruction from his mouthand lay up his words in your heart.23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored:If you remove wickedness far from your tent24 and assign your nuggets to the dust,your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines,25 then the Almighty will be your gold,the choicest silver for you.26 Surely then you will find delight in the Almightyand will lift up your face to God.27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you,and you will fulfill your vows.28 What you decide on will be done,and light will shine on your ways.29 When people are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’then he will save the downcast.30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent,who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

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